Crimefighters
by DizzyDrea
Summary: In which Castle and company discuss being the new Scooby Gang. Or not.


Title: Crimefighters  
>Author: DizzyDrea<br>Summary: In which Castle and company discuss being the new Scooby Gang. Or not.  
>Rating: T<br>Spoilers: Heroes & Villains  
>Author's Notes: In a break from tradition, please see my notes at the end of the story.<br>Disclaimer: Castle is the property of ABC, ABC Studios, Beacon Productions and a lot of other people who aren't me. I am doing this for fun and for practice. Mostly for fun.

~o~

It had been a rough few weeks since Kate Beckett's return from medical leave, and the team had felt the fractures deeply. They lacked their normal effortless sync; instead of the instinctive ballet they usually performed, it felt like a line dance that they hadn't learned the steps to. Thus, they'd retreated to Richard Castle's loft to share some beers and try to recapture some of the easy camaraderie that had been in serious short supply of late.

Ryan and Esposito were sprawled out on the side chairs, while Castle and Beckett lounged on the couch, not near enough to touch, but near enough to feel the other's body heat. It was a sign of just how estranged they'd become that they weren't invading each other's personal space, and one more reminder of just how necessary this evening was.

"I just don't get it," Kevin Ryan said as he sipped at his beer. "Why would anyone risk their lives fighting crime?"

Javier Esposito glared at him across the coffee table. "Really? Did you miss that day at the Academy?"

"No," Ryan said, shaking his head as he cast a frown at his partner's intentional obtuseness. "I mean, I just don't get why Hastings took on this superhero persona. Isn't being a cop enough?"

"Didn't you want to be a superhero when you were a kid?" Castle asked, trademark grin firmly in place.

He'd stretched out, propping his feet on the coffee table, the picture of relaxed comfort, even through the slight tension still hanging in the air. If there was ever a subject guaranteed to get the child within to come out to play, talking about superheroes was it, and he intended to take full advantage.

"I bet you even had your own Superman suit when you were little," Beckett said. She smirked at Castle as she took a sip of her beer, knowing instinctively what he was trying to do. They needed this, more than she'd been willing to admit, and she felt the tension in her shoulders start to relax as the team warmed up to the subject.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Castle said, winking. "Besides, it isn't always the superheroes that solve crime."

"Sure," Esposito said sarcastically. He couldn't believe they were talking about this, but he should have known better. This was Castle, after all. "'Cuz who wouldn't want to be the Scooby Gang?"

"Exactly!" Castle said, pointing in triumph. "I mean, come on," he went on, pointing to Beckett and himself, "Fred and Daphne, right?"

"Who's Fred and who's Daphne?" Beckett asked with a raised eyebrow, the tease evident in her tone.

Castle frowned good-naturedly before turning a smile on the other two detectives. "And of course, that makes you two Shaggy and Scooby."

"I so don't want to know which one is which," Beckett said sotto voce. She had to stifle a laugh as the image of a stoned Esposito floated through her mind.

"Funny," Esposito said. He frowned and cocked his head. "Okay, if we're Shaggy and Scooby, and you two are Fred and Daphne, who's Velma?"

They looked at one another, recognizing the same thought blooming to life in each of them. "Gates!" they all said at once, dissolving in peals of laughter.

Ryan was the first to recover. "So, does that mean we're the new Buffy and Company? I mean, they are known as the Scooby Gang, after all."

"Dude, they're gonna take away your man card," Esposito said, looking askance at his partner.

"Come on, it fits, right?" Ryan said, warming to his topic. They might take away his man card, but he was going to enjoy the ride. "Buffy and Angel." He pointed to Beckett and Castle.

Castle rubbed his hands together. "Oooh, I could so play a vampire on tv."

"Down, boy," Beckett said, smiling. She turned to Ryan and asked, "So does that make you Willow or Xander?"

"Kate!" Castle exclaimed, gleeful at his latest discovery. "I didn't know you were a closet Buffy fan."

Beckett rolled her eyes. "I suppose you'd rather be the genuine article?"

"What, a vampire?" Castle asked, surprised. He considered it for a moment before shaking his head. "No. I like food too much."

Everyone chuckled at that, each one picturing him in front of a table filled with gastronomic delights.

"You know, maybe we're more like a traditional crime fighting team," Castle said. Hey eyed his friends speculatively, considering and dismissing possibilities as he thought about each one of them.

"Which one?" Esposito asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Castle said, leaning back and sipping his beer, waving a hand in the air. Beckett, Esposito and Ryan glanced at one another, waiting for him to 'fess up. Beckett knew what the answer was; they'd talked about it during the case, but she was curious to see what the boys would make of it. "The Justice League, maybe. Or The Avengers."

"Because of that Superman suit you used to have?" Beckett asked coyly. She loved needling him, and this opportunity was just too good to pass up. "I thought you said crime fighters didn't need superpowers."

Castle sat up straighter, dropping his feet to the floor as he set his beer on the coffee table. "I was thinking more along the lines of Batman, or even Iron Man."

"Yeah, and what do those two have in common?" Esposito asked sarcastically, smirking at how obvious Castle was being.

"They're both rich, like me," Castle said with a cheeky grin. "I mean, think about it. They both had nearly unlimited funds and a will to see justice done, though I think I'm probably more like Tony Stark than I am Bruce Wayne: ruggedly handsome, women flocking to me." He saw Beckett roll her eyes out of the corner of his eye, bringing a smirk to his lips. "I have to say, they both had the coolest toys, so maybe it's a push there."

"I'm surprised you don't have your own Batmobile," Beckett said, chuckling.

"Who says I don't?"

"Wait, you have a Batmobile and you didn't share?" Ryan asked, leaning forward, eyes gleaming at the thought of getting his hands on a performance vehicle like that.

"He's just pulling your leg, Ryan," Beckett assured him. She turned to Castle. "Aren't you?"

Castle winked at Beckett. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He looked her up and down, assessing her likely answer to his next question. "So, which would you rather be? Wonder Woman or Black Widow?"

"Hmmm, would I rather prance around in next to nothing, or a black leather catsuit?" she asked, tapping her chin with her finger. It wasn't anything she had to think about, but she made a show of it for Castle's benefit.

All three men leaned forward, eagerly awaiting her answer. She smiled slyly, but kept her peace.

"Well?" Castle asked, genuinely curious. He thought he knew the answer, but he so wanted to see if he was right. He reached for his beer, taking a drink to cover his nearly overwhelming curiosity.

She frowned exasperatedly, not believing for a second that he didn't know the answer already. "What do you think?"

"So, you'll be Natasha Romanoff to my Tony Stark?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she asked slyly, casting a wink at her partner, unwilling to admit that he really did know her as well as he thought he did.

Ryan and Esposito chuckled as they glanced at each other knowingly. The sparks were back, which was progress, and they both breathed an internal sigh of relief at that.

"Okay, Kate," Castle said, conceding defeat for now. "Who do you see yourself as?"

"Oh no, I'm not playing that game," she said, shaking her head.

"Come on, Beckett," Esposito said, crossing his arms. "We've all shared ours. Your turn."

"Yeah, time to ante up," Ryan said, mimicking his partner as he leaned back.

Beckett sighed. "I don't know, guys. I've always thought I'd be more old school."

"How 'old school' is old school?" Castle asked, leaning forward, turning slightly to rest his elbow on the back of the sofa as he became more interested.

"I was thinking more like The Mod Squad," she said with a shrug, a small smile tipping her lips.

The men nodded sagely, but it was Esposito who answered. "I can see that. I mean, we all come from different backgrounds, but the work is what defines us."

"Wise words, my friend," Castle said, tipping his glass in salute.

"I think the bottom line," Beckett said after a pause to consider her words, "is that we work together, because no one of us can do this alone. We have to face it, because no one else will."

"Spoken like a true Avenger," Castle said, admiring her once more for her ability to see to the heart of the matter.

"So, I guess Hastings was just doing what she could for the victims," Ryan said speculatively, returning the conversation to where they'd started.

"It's what we all do," Esposito reminded him.

"I propose a toast," Castle said, leaning forward and holding up his glass. The rest followed suit, waiting for him to speak. "To crime fighters everywhere. May they have the wisdom and strength to fight for those who can't fight for themselves."

They clinked glasses, a look of steely determination on each of their faces.

"Amen, brother," Esposito said.

"Yeah," Ryan echoed.

Beckett just nodded at Castle, but he could feel her approval in the gaze she settled on him.

Conversation moved on from there, but each one kept those words tucked in the back of their minds. The evening had had the desired effect after all, as they gazed around the room at their friends, recognizing the restored relationships, the ease and comfort returning palpably to the room.

And if they shared a wink or a smile at the next crime scene, well, no one was going to explain why. It was just one more reminder of why they do what they do.

~Finis

~o~

Author's Post Script:

I got hit with this plot bunny while visiting Disneyland recently—don't ask me why that place sparked my imagination, except that Disney owns Marvel, though you wouldn't know it by looking around. The whole story is actually built around the bit of dialog in which they all agree that Gates is Velma from the Scooby Gang. I couldn't get that little exchange out of my head, so I decided to write it.

It was a ton of fun developing the idea into a slice of life scene. I did have a bit of trouble figuring out which hero Castle would see himself as. I knew it would be a comic book character, but which one? I know next to nothing about comic book superheroes, which made it a little tougher. Thankfully, I have friends that know more than I do. So, many thanks go to the girls in chat—mel, mags, t, tam, river, isa and umbra—for the insights into his character and the suggestions that made it into this fic.


End file.
